As associate editor of ForbesLife, I cover fashion, fine arts and philanthropy—mostly through an anthropological lens. Enroute to Forbes I spent a summer at NBC, produced a video for the Committee To Protect Journalists and briefly dabbled in fine art acquisitions. I also have a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from Columbia University.

Carrie Fisher Is Bipolar And She's Fine With It

In case you missed the Diane Sawyer special, the HBO documentary, the infamous tabloid headlines—Carrie Fisher is mentally ill. She has bipolar disorder. Has had, will have.

The pop culture icon, perhaps the most famous to ever have worn symmetrical buns on the sides of her head, vows she won’t let the disease define her but jokes that she wins plenty of awards for it. The latest she received at last week’s Silver Hill Hospital Gala where the Star Wars actress was honored for her decades-long advocacy work on behalf of mental illness.

“People say ‘mental illness’ like it’s not a part of the body,” said Fisher over the phone a few days before the gala. And she’s right. The widespread misconception that mental illnesses and the various symptoms associated with them—depression, hallucination, erratic behavior, to name a few—are the result of personal weakness or moral failing is categorically false.

The truth? Mental illnesses are serious medical conditions with physiological roots, namely chemical imbalances in the brain. In other words, schizophrenia, severe depression and bipolar disorder are all diseases of the brain, just as diabetes is a disorder of the pancreas. Therefore, linking a person’s mental illness to intelligence or personality, for example, would be as misguided as blaming Lance Armstrong for his testicular cancer.

One in four adults—approximately 57.7 million Americans—experience a mental health disorder in a given year, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. That’s more than the total population of California and New York combined. Despite the high frequency of cases, negative attitudes about mental illness continue to discourage people from seeking help (ask yourself: would you rather publicly admit you’re diabetic or manic depressive?).

That’s where the Carrie Fishers of the world can help. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of, though certainly anecdotal,” says Fisher, who once struggled to accept her own diagnosis, then later wrote candidly about a life filled with substance abuse, Hollywood cavorting and bouts of depression. Fisher’s public admission of her bipolar disorder in 2000 paved the way for average people to learn about the little understood disease, not unlike the way Catherine Zeta-Jones’s announcement did earlier this year.

“The more we talk about it, the better,” said Jaime Gleicher, who reality television buffs might recognize as half of the duo from MTV’s Rich Girls. Instant fame brought on depression and an eating disorder in 2003, which Gleicher overcame in treatment at Silver Hill. But on gala night, the former reality star was optimistic. “Mental illness is not who I am and I’ve learned it doesn’t have to control my life,” said Gleicher. “Let’s go dance!”

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Great post about mental health. Its one of those health issues that is hard to change people perspective off, despite living in this modern and open minded period of mans history. Articles such as this, really highlight the importance of exposing and dealing with mental health. Thanks again Steve

Thanks for the note, Steve! The sad part is the staggering number of cases that go undiagnosed because of mental illness stigma–it’s a vicious cycle that feeds into poverty, crime and even suicide. The more we talk about it, the less scarier it becomes. Needless to say, we need more Carrie Fishers in the world!